Some She's Shorter Than
by LeglessJedi
Summary: Sequel to Some She's Taller Than. Laura is able to see Frodo and Sam, and is almost caught by Sauron as she fights alongside Legolas and Aragorn for Helm's Deep. COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Some She's Shorter Than

Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own LOTR. In fact, I am probably slandering Tolkien's work by writing this. But I just love it so much, please forgive me. Also, I wrote it so I could just kind of add Laura in as one of the characters and not make her the hero of middle-earth, because that would totally ruin the plot. So I tried to avoid making her stand out as much as possible.

A/N: This is a sequel to my previous fanfic, SOME SHE'S TALLER THAN. I know that title isn't that good, but it's the first thing that popped into my head and it's nice and easy to remember that the two belong together.

**Default Chapter**

"The Uruks headed Northeast! They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!" Legolas informed Laura and Aragorn.

Isengard? That was where that wizard Saruman lived. She'd heard Gandalf tell her this, though she'd never seen Saruman. He was Sauron's puppet since he couldn't take a human form. He was responsible for those Uruk Hai inhabiting Middle-earth and trying to take over. And apparently he knew that a Hobbit possessed the Ring. What was going to happen to Merry and Pippin?

They had been tracking the two for three days now. Not long ago, Aragorn had come across a pin that one of them had cleverly thought to drop behind so they knew they were on the right trail. Laura was very grateful that she'd had all that Jedi training, or else the cross country practice would be mighty impossible. They were forced to stop at night for the uncertainty that they might lose the trail if they tried to continue on in the dark. So each day, they became even farther behind.

And Aragorn was a beast at tracking already. All he had to do was put his ear to the ground and he could hear where the Uruk Hai were headed. And Legolas could see until forever and a day ahead of them. She felt like she had nothing on these two, yet she didn't seem to hinder them at all. In fact, they were more than content to have her along since she could easily keep up with them.

On the third day of their tracking, they encountered what Aragorn called the Riders of Rohan, or the Rohirrim. The three had finally stopped, and she was sitting on the ground, trying to find some energy to move on in the blazing heat that seemed to be centered on them. Aragorn stood up quickly, announcing that they were coming. Legolas pulled Laura to her feet so that they could hide behind a set of rocks.

She watched tiredly as thousands of men on horses rode by them. She leaned so that most of her weight was on a rock, to avoid passing out. The horses were deafening as so many rode by, and she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth to ease the ringing in her ears. When they were past, Aragorn bravely stepped out and shouted "Riders of Rohan, what news of the Mark!"

She and Legolas followed him, and were surrounded by all of them in a few more seconds. Spears pointed at them from all directions. Legolas put his hand on Laura's shoulder as the horsemen closed in. Some sort of leader came forward. It looked like he had a horse's tail coming out of his helmet.

"What business do an Elf, a Man and a Dwarf have in Rohan?" he demanded.

"Uhm, excuse me? I'm not a Dwarf for your information, horseboy," she spat, being already irritated as it was. Aragorn put his arm between them.

"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn. This is Laura of the Jedi and Legolas of the woodland realm. We are tracking a group of Uruk Hai that headed across the plains."

He explained their mission and the leader took his helmet off. He had long, orange-brown hair, and was very cute. He introduced himself as Eomer, son of Eomund. He and his men had been banished from Rohan by the king, who was taken over by Saruman. Again with that damned wizard! What was his deal?

Aragorn mentioned to Eomer that they were tracking two Hobbits, and he said something that caught her attention. They had slaughtered some Uruks last night.

"Did you see two Hobbits?" she asked anxiously.

He looked down for a moment. "We…left none alive," he said. She held her breath. Legolas muttered something in Elvish and looked just as sick as she felt. Dead? Merry and Pippin? They never even had a chance. There was no way they were dead, she would know. Wouldn't she? Was she that close to them yet?

Eomer whistled and three horses appeared. Her mood changed dramatically as she saw that one of the three was Epona. "Epona!" she cried as she took the reins and the horse nuzzled her. "Oh Epona, how are you?" she asked happily as the two parties departed with a warning that hope was forsaken in the lands.

They rode to a smoking pile of Orcs. She was very disgusted by the Uruk head that was jammed onto the end of a stake, but quickly recovered and started digging through the bodies. It was sickening, but she wanted to reassure herself that she would not find Hobbit corpses in this pile. Her hopes were crushed when she found a small knife in the pile.

"Oh no, it's one of the blades that Lady Galadriel gave each of them," she said sadly. She sat back and held the little sheath in her hands.

Aragorn kicked a helmet, screaming in frustration. He fell to his knees as Legolas again said a prayer in Elvish with his hand over his heart. Laura felt her heart sink. Pippin? And Merry? They didn't know what they were getting themselves into, and were mercilessly killed by an army that couldn't have known. She put a strand of fallen hair behind her ears and looked up. What was that forest that lurked ahead of them? It was dense and twisted, and looked like no sunlight had ever shown in it.

Aragorn felt the ground beside him and talked gently, like he was reminiscing. "A Hobbit lay here, and another next to him." He went on to describe that they'd been bound, and got a little excited when he found their bindings left behind. He described their footprints and where they were running to and everything.

"That is way cool. You should get paid for doing this," she said as he led them to the edge of that creepy-looking forest. "Are they in there?" she asked.

Legolas nodded. "That is Fangorn Forest. It is very old, and very dangerous. Stay close to me." She nodded quickly. She just wanted to see what was in there that was so dangerous. Who knew a place without electricity and running water could be so full of danger and adventure?

They slowly made their way into the forest with Aragorn painstakingly surveying the area around them. He knelt on the ground where it looked like a big footprint was. "These tracks are strange," he said.


	2. Into Mordor

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
Into Mordor  
  
As he said it, the three of them heard a great groaning noise moving among the trees. Laura made a strange face. "Are.are they talking?"  
  
Legolas looked back at her. "Yes. These trees have feelings. They are full of memory and anger. They can indeed talk to each other; the Elves begin it," he got that dreamy look across his face that made him look less than manly to her. She looked around. She wondered what trees said to each other.  
  
As they made their way deeper into the forest, Laura saw a white figure moving among the trees. "Hey!" she whispered.  
  
"What are the trees saying?" Aragorn asked.  
  
Legolas moved his eyes in the direction of the figure, hinting to them. "The White Wizard approaches," he said as they got their weapons ready.  
  
"But-" Laura tried to tell them.  
  
"Do not let him speak, or else he will put a spell on us," Aragorn warned them.  
  
Laura's hands dropped to her sides and she turned around, covering her eyes. A bright light was emanating from him, and she had to squint. Legolas shot an arrow at him, but it bounced right off. Aragorn's sword began getting hot, so he had to drop it.  
  
"Two Hobbits came this way, the day before yesterday," he said. "They met someone they did not expect," he finished in a deep, resonating voice. It made her think twice about who it was. But she was sure of it. She had felt Gandalf's presence.  
  
"Who are you?" Aragorn demanded, shielding his eyes. As the staff passed in front of the wizard's face, the light faded somewhat and they could all see that it was Gandalf.  
  
"I was right!" she said triumphantly as she ran into his arms. He was almost twice as tall as her and nearly concealed her in his white robes when he held her.  
  
"Hello, my child!" he chuckled gaily. When she touched him, her clothes turned white. She didn't think much of this, she was just glad to have her friend back.  
  
Legolas bowed. "Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman," he apologized. Aragorn stepped up to him.  
  
"It cannot be," he said. "Gandalf."  
  
"Gandalf?" Gandalf said, as if it wasn't his name. Then a light went on in his head. "Yes. That was what they used to call me, Gandalf the Grey. I am Gandalf the White." And he was. He was a very bright white, his power being felt strongly by the three companions that stood around him. His old twisted staff was a new white one with a little white stone in the top. His hair was long and white, along with his beard, eyebrows, etc. Everything, white. "I was sent through fire and stone." he began the story of how he had defeated the Balrog, and then died. Then he felt life flow back into him, and had been sent back to them to finish what needed to be done. "I am Saruman as he should have been," he finished.  
  
"Gandalf, I am so glad to see you again," she said, not letting go of him. She was also glad to know that the Hobbits were alive, and with someone named Treebeard.  
  
All of a sudden the trees began groaning again. It didn't sound too friendly to her, but she wasn't the only one. Their horses also were becoming uneasy. They ran away, and she started after them. "I'll get them back," she said as she ran after them. Legolas started forward, but Gandalf held him back and winked at him.  
  
She made her way through the dense trees, wondering how the horses could move so easily through it when she was having such a hard time on two legs. Finally, she was able to find them. They were at a dead end and starting to panic.  
  
"Epona, Hasufel, Arod, there's nothing to worry about in here," she said soothingly in Elvish. She took Epona's reins. "Follow me." The other two horses followed her out.  
  
All of a sudden, the trees again began groaning. Epona whinnied nervously as she put a hand on her to hush her and looked back at Arod and Hasufel. Then she got dizzy. She shook her head, trying to clear it. But the trees were looking funnier than usual. She fell to her knees, beginning to feel dazed as Epona tried to nudge her to get on her feet.  
  
"No, we cannot build a campfire in here. The trees wouldn't take kindly to that," Gandalf was telling Aragorn when the horses showed up again. Aragorn smiled.  
  
"I am glad she decided to press on with us. She is indeed useful," he said proudly. But Legolas stood up. She was not with them, and Epona was neighing.  
  
"Epona, where is she?" he asked in Elvish. He ran after her as Aragorn sat up, worried. He looked at Gandalf, who looked just a concerned. In about ten minutes, Legolas returned carrying Laura in his arms. He gently laid her down in front of Gandalf.  
  
"She has fallen into some sort of fever; I could not wake her," Legolas explained.  
  
"Hello?" Laura called. "Hey! Can somebody hear me! Help!" she cried. She could see nothing but a pitched black sky above her. She looked around. "Gandalf? Aragorn? Legolas? Epona?"  
  
All of a sudden she was standing in the middle of a field, looking at the remains of what had been a city. There were Nazgul flying around it. They now had these horrible looking flying snakelike creatures. They were still shrieking. Then she realized she was surrounded by Orcs and Uruk Hai. They were headed towards the city.  
  
Then she found herself at the foot of some mountains. There was a huge gate beyond her, and it was shut. It looked like the biggest, sturdiest steel gate she had ever seen. "The Black Gate?" she wondered. Then she kicked something. She looked down and cried out in horror. She was standing among a pile of dead bodies. She knelt down beside the one she had accidentally kicked. "Sorry," she apologized to no one. Wait a minute. The ring on his finger had a little black gem in it.  
  
"Aragorn?" she asked in disbelief. Her throat felt dry. Where was she now? A white body lay next to Aragorn, and two smaller bodies next to that. She closed her eyes, but opened them again to focus on Legolas' body half covered by a dead troll. She began feeling hysterical. She looked up painfully as she heard the great gate creak open slowly. She could see something red inside. 


	3. To Edoras

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR  
  
Hey thanks for the reviews!  
  
To Edoras  
  
The gate opened further, revealing a tower inside. A black tower. With a red eye looking at her. What did this mean? An eye? THE eye! Suddenly she was consumed in fire. She cried out in pain as the flames licked her. A voice, evil and menacing, was inside of her head. "Give me the Ring. Tell me who has it and I will spare your life, child," it sneered.  
  
Gandalf watched as she moaned and uttered words, dripping with sweat. None of his spells could wake her, Sauron had somehow gotten a full grip on her. And she would tell him who had the Ring because she knew, and Sauron was very powerful. The group grew worried.  
  
"NO!" she screamed as she sat up. She felt so sick. She began coughing, and couldn't stop. It was very hard for her to breathe.  
  
"Give her room," Gandalf said gently to the two of them. She finally stopped coughing, and her gasping calmed down a little so she was now panting.  
  
"Are you all right?" Legolas asked. "I tried to pick you up and all I could do was recoil in terror."  
  
"What madness overtook you, my lady?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"She has had an encounter with Sauron," Gandalf said solemnly. She looked at him.  
  
"What?" she asked skeptically. Then she remembered. "Oh, I was so scared!" she cried.  
  
"What did you see, child?" Gandalf asked.  
  
"I saw...everyone was dead. At the Black Gates of Mordor, everyone lay dead! You three, and Merry and Pippin. Frodo had failed, and was dead. But I couldn't see Frodo because Sauron doesn't know about him. Then he asked me to tell him and he would spare my life, but I rejected him. It was worse than it sounds, trust me."  
  
They were all speechless after hearing her short tale, which in truth wasn't even half as bad as it had been seeing them dead. Was it the future he'd shown her? All of them would die?  
  
"But about Frodo." she began again. The group refocused on her. "He is.with Gollum. They are in the middle of a group of marshes, but he is still being hunted. Gollum's going to try and take the Ring for himself, but Frodo thinks he understands and pities the creature."  
  
Gandalf looked like he didn't believe her. "Sauron showed you this?"  
  
"No. Oh, no way. This is the present I'm talking about," she said surely.  
  
"You are able to see what Frodo sees?" Aragorn asked doubtfully.  
  
"Yeah. I don't know how, but-" she clutched her left shoulder. A searing pain had just gone through it. It was so strong that she fell unconscious once more while Gandalf held her.  
  
Legolas looked at Aragorn. "Perhaps it was not such a good decision to leave the safety of her kin." He nodded. Something they didn't understand was beginning to happen to her, and it looked like she wouldn't be able to handle it very well. Gandalf, on the other hand, was more than impressed with her ability to reject Sauron's threat.  
  
Laura woke up with what she thought to be an intense migraine the next morning. She moaned and reached out next to her to take a small piece of lembas bread that Galadriel had given all of them. It was quickly losing its popularity with her, but she didn't complain. Whatever gave her strength. She slowly sat up, trying to rub the pain right out of her head. Her eyes focused on a neatly made pair of boots standing in front of her.  
  
Legolas stood before her, and offered her his hand. She got to her feet. She couldn't look at him. It was still difficult to look directly at any of their faces after looking into cold, lifeless eyes. Her head throbbed. Legolas carefully looked at her. "Can you make it to Edoras with us, my lady?" he asked, his voice full of genuine concern.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," she said in a slurred voice. He looked at her unsurely, but led her to the edge where Gandalf stood with his horse, Shadowfax. Laura immediately forgot about the pain in her head.  
  
"And how are you feeling this morning, my dear?" Gandalf asked kindly.  
  
"My memory's a little foggy, but I don't feel sick anymore," she said honestly. "What a beautiful horse."  
  
"Shadowfax has been a good friend of mine, although the Rohirrim are a bit angry that I am the only one now who can tame him," he said lightheartedly.  
  
She mounted Epona and they rode over what was to her the most boring territory they'd encountered yet. It was just plains, plains, and rolling hills. Definitely the best horse country, but not much for the human eye to enjoy.  
  
In what seemed to her like six years, they reached a city on a hilltop. As they went through the gate she could see that all the peasants there were dressed in black, and no one said a word. She yawned as they made their way up the steps and were greeted by three guards. Gandalf looked pleased.  
  
"I cannot allow you before King Theoden so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of Grima Wormtongue," he sneered when he said the name, like it was poison to even say it. It was such an ugly name. Wormtongue. What cruel parents named their child that?  
  
Gandalf looked at all of them, nodding. Laura took off her quiver, and gave them her bow and her sword while concealing her lightsaber. "Your staff," the man said.  
  
"Oh, you would not part an old man with his walking stick?" Gandalf asked. The man nodded and let them proceed into what was know was the Golden Hall. Laura gripped Gandalf's arm nice and tight so his staff could not be seen.  
  
The hall didn't look golden and magnificent at all. In fact, it looked dim and dreary. Men watched them warily from all sides, and she felt a good fight would soon break out. A very old, very decrepit-looking man sat on a throne at the end of the hallway, and a greasy-looking pale faced thing was whispering something into his ear. The old man, who was the king, spoke like he was having real difficulty.  
  
"Why.should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" he asked slowly.  
  
"A just question, my lord," the greasy thing said as he stood up. Was he human? Yuck. "Late is the hour," he announced, but Gandalf was quick to cut him off. 


	4. Exorcism

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR  
  
Exorcism  
  
"Keep you're forked tongue behind your teeth," he retorted as she pulled out his staff. That thing, Grima, she was sure, looked nervous.  
  
"His staff! I told you to take his staff!" he whined as some men around the hall began towards them. She grinned.  
  
She punched a man in the stomach who came swinging at her. She ducked a punch from another one and was able to trip him and send him flying on his back. The rest she left up to Legolas and Aragorn. Legolas looked like he was doing Kung Fu from her point of view. She saw Wormtongue trying to escape, and stepped on him with her heavy black shoes.  
  
"Don't move or you'll grease up my shoes," she warned him. She looked on to Gandalf, who was standing in front of King Theoden's throne. He chanted a small spell, but Theoden began laughing. It wasn't him. It was Saruman! From what he said, it was definitely Saruman.  
  
"You have no power over me, Gandalf the-aaugh!" he cried as Gandalf's cloak fell to the floor to reveal his pure white garb. It was an exorcism, also the coolest thing she'd ever seen. As he struggled against Gandalf's power, a woman appeared beside Aragorn. He held her back as she tried to run forward.  
  
She was gorgeous. She had long blonde hair past her waist and wore a lovely white dress. She looked very worried.  
  
Gandalf was arguing with Saruman. "You cannot kill me, and you cannot kill Theoden," he said. With one final attempt, Theoden tried to jump Gandalf, but was slammed back against his throne. He lost control and pitched forward as Aragorn let the young woman go to catch him.  
  
With her help, he sat back up in this throne. Then as Laura watched, his eyes became less cloudy, his skin tighter, and his hair shorter and a light brown color. He was only a middle-age man, it looked like. Not extremely old. King Theoden. Now that was more like it. He looked at the woman's face. "I know your face," he said, sounding like himself and not like the words were forced. "Eowyn!" It was very ceremonious when he was presented with his sword, and unsheathed it. He looked like he was slowly recognizing everything again.  
  
Then his eyes fell on her. They were cold and full of anger. She panicked for a second, but then remembered who she stood on. He was looking at Wormtongue, not her. He took him by the collar and flung him out of the castle down the stairs. Everyone followed, watching the King.  
  
She stood up at the top of the stairs next to Legolas and that woman, Eowyn. Wormtongue tried to make a lame excuse, but Theoden raised his sword. That's right, take his head off, she thought. But Aragorn stopped him.  
  
"No! No my lord, enough blood has been spilled on his account," he said. And his put his hand out to help Grima stand up.  
  
"What a great guy," she said under her breath. She would certainly worship him as her king if she ended up staying in Middle-Earth. How noble of him, how amazing.  
  
Wormtongue looked at his hand for a moment, and then spit on it. Her eyes grew wide. "That guy is dead. You don't spit on Aragorn's hand and live to talk about it," she said.  
  
"Hail, King Theoden!" someone below shouted. Aragorn was also the first to kneel before Theoden. Laura smiled. She liked this guy more and more. And from the looks of it, so did Eowyn.  
  
Theoden looked around at the crowd. "Where is Theodred? Where is my son?" he asked. Silence answered him. Laura's jaw fell open. He had a son? Oh, no. That silence could only mean he was dead. And that meant a funeral. She hated going to funerals. She always cried, even if she didn't know the person.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
They walked in silence behind Theodred's body as it was carried behind the castle to a small stone tomb in the ground. Eowyn stood next to the tomb as Theodred was lowered. Her hair was up, and she wore a crown. She began singing in another language, and her voice seemed to come and go with the wind.  
  
Laura took a deep breath, steadying her emotions. She wanted to cry and this was the perfect excuse. Her head was still pounding, and she was terribly shaken up about the "encounter" with Sauron. Now this? She just wanted to rest. But there was no time for that at all. She could see now that this was more than a paradise. This was a real place, with real people in it who could die.  
  
She felt a hand squeeze hers. Surprised, she looked to her left. Legolas looked down at her, and for the first time in a day and a half she was able to look at his face. He seemed to understand how frustrated and exhausted and miserable she felt.  
  
After the funeral, she followed the herd of people back up the hill. Aragorn approached her, his face fill with concern. "You do not look well, my lady."  
  
"I'm just tired. I just need to sleep," she said in a very unconvincing tone. Aragorn nodded. Eowyn, who was behind them, had overheard him.  
  
"I will show you to a room at once," she volunteered. Laura smiled. She and Eowyn made their way through the castle, Eowyn gathering a couple of blankets for her. She opened the door to a room and Laura went straight for the bed. Seeing how distressed she was, Eowyn left her without a sound.  
  
Laura buried her face in the pillow and screamed as loud as she could. After that, her scream turned into a sob. The more she cried, the more the pain in her head increased. But it didn't matter; she just had to get everything out. Holding back emotions was sometimes the worst. She cried until she fell asleep.  
  
Her dreams didn't offer any comfort, either. This time she was actually in Mordor, in the middle of Mount Doom. She watched as Frodo's body lay sprawled out across the rocks. He had died with his eyes open, in a frozen stare. His blue eyes were pale and his face dirty and thin. Sam sat next to him. He was alive, but he stared helplessly at the creature Gollum, who triumphantly had gotten hold of the Ring and was happily dancing around them. "Frodo." she choked.  
  
She woke up when she heard a knock on her door. (I doubt back then these castles had doors, sorry). "Come in," she said in a wavering tone.  
  
It was Legolas. He looked at her, very troubled. "You have been acting strangely since last night. Is the memory still that vivid?"  
  
She nodded weakly. "Yeah, I can still feel the flames," she said shakily. 


	5. A Daughter of Kings

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
A Daughter of Kings  
  
"Legolas...I-I keep seeing the Fellowship dead," she admitted to him. "I can't do this, I can't handle the visions. Galadriel was right; I should've stayed in Lorien." She was getting very hysterical now and began crying again.  
  
Without hesitating, he ran to her. "Please, do not regret the decision you have made," he begged.  
  
She buried her face in his arms and continued crying. "But I'm so scared. Everyone was right, it's too much for me to handle. Legolas, I was so afraid of him-"  
  
"I know. I know, Laura. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you were frightened," he said soothingly. He put a strand of hair behind her ears. Her sobs became more violent, but he let her cry on him for a while. She calmed down a lot quicker than she thought she would. Then she realized she was in Legolas' arms, crying.  
  
She sat up, wiping her face. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. He had a big tears stain on his shoulder.  
  
He looked concerned, not moving. "Think nothing of it. Would you like me to stay with you? You do not seem well at all. Perhaps I should inform Eowyn?"  
  
She shook her head. "No I'm...I'll be fine. I just need some time to rest."  
  
She waited until he left the room, and then fell back on her bed. "Great, you just wept like a baby in front of him. Smoooooth," she reprimanded herself. She sighed. He smelled so nice, even though her nose was stuffed up by now. She fell asleep again until there was another knock at the door.  
  
This time they didn't wait for her reply. And this time, it was Eowyn. She peeked her head inside. "My lady?" she asked unsurely in a whisper. "My lady, are you awake?"  
  
Laura sat up. "Yes. Eowyn, is that you? Come on in!" she said, feeling much better after her second nap. She hopped off the bed and lit a few candles. (Did they have candles back then??)  
  
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Laura asked.  
  
"Please forgive me, I did not mean to be so rude. Legolas told me you were not feeling well," Eowyn apologized.  
  
"Hey, I'm just a little worn out. Really, I'm fine."  
  
"I wanted to ask you so many questions when I saw you, but you were so tired that I never got the chance," Eowyn said quickly. "I saw four swords among the weapons that were to remain outside the Golden Hall. Am I correct that one is for each of your party?"  
  
"Yes," Laura said, not sure at what she was getting at.  
  
"Then is it true that you fight alongside the men in battle?" Eowyn asked anxiously.  
  
Oh. Now it made sense. A time where women didn't fight. "Now I do. It was really hard to convince them that I could do it. In fact, I didn't even think to bring the sword. My sister secretly gave it to me before we left."  
  
"That sounds exciting," Eowyn said.  
  
"It is! The hardest part is getting the men to realize that you're capable of fighting."  
  
"I know all too well what that is like, if it's not too bold to say so. I have grown up with men, learned there ways, but am still treated as a mere woman."  
  
Seeing where this was going, Laura knew just the thing to say. "There's no shame in being a woman, Eowyn. Just let the men know that once in a while."  
  
Eowyn smiled. She seemed to by the type of person who didn't smile often, because she had a lot of bad memories. And with the King being under Saruman's spell and letting the Orcs invade their lands, she must've been in the same boat with Laura.  
  
"You...you come with Lord Aragorn. He is a Ranger from the North?"  
  
She nodded. "One of the Dunedain."  
  
Eowyn's eyes widened. "Blessed with long life?"  
  
Laura nodded. "I met him in a village called Bree. From what I've learned so far, he's like a breath of fresh air to the falling world."  
  
Eowyn nodded sadly. "He brings hope where all shadows of hope were long forgotten. He is..." he voice wavered and faded. Then she withdrew her eyes, excusing herself from the room quietly.  
  
Laura stood there. What a strange encounter. Eowyn seemed very content to speak her mind, but some time during the conversation she changed. It had been the mention of Aragorn's name. She put her hand to her mouth. Eowyn had a thing for Aragorn? This wasn't good, what about her sister? She got up off the bed. Laura was much too energetic to sleep by now. She wanted to talk to Eowyn, to explain things to her. Little did she realize she'd had no contact with another female since Rivendell. How nice to see another woman again! Someone who understood her more perfectly than Legolas; someone who respected her more than Aragorn. And someone who didn't treat her as a child.  
  
She crept down the hallway, wondering where she was and where she was going. She heard voices, and followed their source. They came from a large room. One was Gandalf's. She stood outside, listening carefully. He was talking to someone. The king? Then she heard Eowyn's voice.  
  
"I will not risk open war on my people," King Theoden insisted.  
  
Then she heard Aragorn speak. "Open war is upon you, whether you like it or not," he said.  
  
"When last I looked, Theoden was king of Rohan, not Aragorn," the king said menacingly. She guessed that Legolas was there, also, standing quietly in a corner. The king said something about moving his people to a place in the mountains called Helm's Deep.  
  
Why didn't they just fight? she wondered. She looked up. Gandalf was standing there, looking down at her. He seemed a bit irritated, but his voice sounded too relieved to be real angry with her for eavesdropping. She waved, trying to look as innocent as possible.  
  
"I see you have made a full recovery," he said.  
  
"Yes," she nodded. "What's Helm's Deep, anyway?" she asked curiously.  
  
"This is not the time for questions," he said sternly as he began down the hallway.  
  
Legolas emerged from the room next. "It is a ravine where the people will be trapped. He has decided to send them to their doom," he said, sounding annoyed with the king's decision.  
  
"He is only trying to do what's best for his people," Aragorn reminded them. 


	6. Lashing Out at Loved Ones

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
Lashing Out at Loved Ones  
  
"I'm assuming we are to go with them, my lord?" she said, being unexpectedly polite.  
  
Aragorn nodded. "Have the visions stopped, Laura?"  
  
"Yes. I'm fine now," she lied. Legolas glanced at her, but did not say anything.  
  
The next day Gandalf left with Shadowfax, and the people prepared to relocate to Helm's Deep. She walked with Epona, alongside Legolas and Arod. She looked back at Eowyn and Aragorn, who walked side by side. She'd seen them together earlier in the barn, too. She smelled a soap opera in Middle-Earth.  
  
"I'm seeing sparks fly between those two lately, and I'm not sure if I like it. He's gonna break someone's heart if he keeps pimpin' like that, don't you agree, my lord?" she said, mainly to break some of the tension she felt in the air.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask him about it, you know? Having to decide if he's ever going to see Arwen again or just move on. Do you think he'd talk about it with me?" she asked, squinting her eyes under the sun.  
  
"No," Legolas replied shortly. "I do not think Lord Aragorn would be discussing anything so personal with you. You shouldn't have said anything about it."  
  
"Okay, Mr. Do-Not-Hesitate-To-Tell-Me-Anything."  
  
"My lady, have you no shame?"  
  
She laughed. "Okay, don't flip out on me."  
  
He turned to her. "Then please, do not continue to talk of nonsense."  
  
"A little jumpy, are we? You wanna tell me what's going on? You need to chill out." She could tell that something was bothering him. Was it her? She was always humorous in times like that, and, as immature as it was, loved pressing his buttons. She hated being serious. But, she left him alone and watched the two riders go ahead of the group. Legolas followed them.  
  
She furrowed her brow. She did sense danger. The Elf was right! She stood on her tiptoes to try and see ahead of them. Orcs? Of course, Orcs. That was the only danger ever.  
  
"Orcs!" Aragorn cried. Nice. Panic all those helpless women and children.  
  
"Assemble the riders!" Theoden commanded. "Eowyn, you must get the women and children to Helm's Deep," he told her.  
  
"But I can fight!" she insisted.  
  
"No! You must do this for me."  
  
Without giving it a second thought, Laura mounted Epona and headed for where Legolas stood on a quarry of rocks. He was shooting his arrows at Orcs on wolves, she could now see. As she came closer, Legolas reached up and swung himself around Epona and onto her back.  
  
"That was hot," she said, impressed. He looked back at her and winked. She felt her chest begin to pound. Not the time Laura, she told herself. Focus on those Orcs.  
  
"Hey, I bet I can kill more than you can," she challenged him. She couldn't reach anything from horseback, so she jumped off. The wolves were as ugly and menacing as the Orcs, but better them than a bunch of Uruk Hai.  
  
She was about to slaughter her first one, when Legolas rode by and shot it with an arrow. "One!" he called.  
  
"Hey!" she said angrily.  
  
These men that surrounded her were not ready to fight at all. Many of them were killed. After slaying her fifth one, she looked up to see Aragorn being dragged by an Orc on a wolf. The Orc was about to kill him. She quickly pulled an arrow out of her quiver and shot it as it wrapped its hand around his neck. She was brought back to the battle when one of those wolves ran into her, knocking her over. The wind was knocked out of her, and she unsuccessfully tried to get to her feet as the thing was standing on her arm and crushing her. Then she felt the weight lift off of her. Legolas had shot the wolf. He stood before her, looking triumphant.  
  
"That would be sixteen," he said as he helped her to her feet. She scowled at him.  
  
She looked around. "Aragorn?" she called. "Aragorn!" Legolas joined her as they searched for their friend. An Orc nearby was laughing evilly.  
  
"He fell," the Orc said with his throat somewhat cut open. "He took a little tumble off a cliff." It was the one that she had shot to save Aragorn. Legolas pulled him close.  
  
"You lie!" he accused it. As it choked to death on its own blood, his eyes fell on something. It was Arwen's necklace in its hand. He took it, and the two of them joined King Theoden in looking over a nearby cliff.  
  
She looked down. There was only a river flowing through the canyon. What? He could not be dead, could he? She looked hopelessly at Legolas. He looked just as unsure as she did.  
  
"Carry the injured. Leave the dead," Theoden commanded. He placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Come."  
  
The two of them stood on the cliff, looking down. She felt lightheaded and sick again. She grabbed Legolas' arm to support herself. He looked at her, but did not say anything as they headed on to Helm's Deep. Dead? No way. She had made a promise to her sister, he couldn't be! She didn't feel it in her heart that he was dead. She still felt a little faint, whether from the encounter with Sauron or what.  
  
She passed Eowyn in Helm's Deep, but did not say anything to her. She could see her speaking with King Theoden as she went with Legolas.  
  
"We do not have much time," Legolas began informing her. "When King Theoden gives the order, you are to go down into the Glittering Caves with lady Eowyn and the women and children."  
  
"Whoa, whoa. Have you seen these men lately? You need me to fight and you know it."  
  
He shook his head. "With Aragorn gone, I cannot allow any harm to come to you."  
  
"Oh, give it up already! Just what are you trying to protect me from anyway? I'm not sitting in a cave hoping we'll beat the Uruk Hai. Aragorn would fight, and so will I."  
  
Legolas sighed. "You make things more difficult than they must be, Laura."  
  
She put her hands on her hips. "Well, you should've realized that before you talked to my dad." She knew she was being difficult, but she was not staying in a cave with crying babies and panicking women everywhere. Talk about boring. Besides, if she died, she wanted to die with the only friend she had left now. 


	7. Reviving Old Alliances

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
Reviving Old Alliances  
  
Wanting a little independence, she wiggled her way through the people to avoid another encounter with Legolas. She guessed that he was looking for her. Why was he so afraid? Did he actually think this would be that bad? How many of those Uruk Hai was Saruman sending anyway? She ran on, hearing some commotion by the gate. She made her way through all the people and saw Aragorn in the middle.  
  
"I knew it! I knew you couldn't just leave us to fight by ourselves!" she rejoiced as she hugged him. He patted her on the shoulder.  
  
"Where is the king?" he asked softly.  
  
She nodded towards the right direction.  
  
"You'd better go put some armor and a helmet on. And keep out of Theoden's sight," he instructed her as he winked. He knew she was going to fight even though she wasn't allowed. She happily found her way to the armory and put on a chainmail shirt. It would do. She figured she could go without the helmet since the men all had long hair, anyway.  
  
Her first real battle on Middle-Earth. She was getting excited. Yeah, she'd been in plenty in her life. She'd ridden in spaceships, speeders, fired laser guns against Stormtroopers, defeated foes with her lightsaber. But she'd never done anything like this. Using a sword was much more difficult than using a lightsaber had been. It was so heavy. It was much easier for her to use the bow and arrows Leglolas had given her, but she felt obligated to use her sword. After all, it was from her sister.  
  
She went back upstairs in her "disguise". Legolas narrowed his eyes at her when he saw her. "This is not a game," he told her, sounding like he was getting irritated.  
  
"Legolas, I want to fight by Aragorn's side. Please understand that I won't be content if I don't," she said sincerely.  
  
He looked at her. "You risk your very life to save those you do not know."  
  
"So do you," she reasoned. "You didn't know of Frodo before the Council in Rivendell. It goes so much deeper than friendship."  
  
He put his hand on her shoulder. "You are indeed blessed with the wisdom of the Elves. But I could not let you fall in battle."  
  
"Then let's make this a competition. Let's see who can kill more Uruk Hai. That way maybe the focus will be taken off the horror of this."  
  
Just then Eowyn ran up to the three of them. "Aragorn! They won't let me fight. They're making me stay in the caves with the women and children! What valor is there in that?" she ranted like an upset little girl. Laura decided she'd better stay out of the conversation, and averted her eyes to Legolas, who was also trying to look like he wasn't involved.  
  
When Aragorn tried to comfort her, she protested. "But you do not try and protect them!" she said, nodding toward Laura and Legolas. "They will fight alongside you. Because they love you!"  
  
Laura bit her lip. She'd said too much, and she knew it. She suddenly grew pale and shrank back, running past. Laura scratched her head and looked up at Legolas. He looked after Eowyn and sighed. Then he turned his attention back to her. "Come," he said.  
  
They were surrounded by men. Very few of them looked like Aragorn or Legolas, meaning they didn't seem fit to fight at all. She clenched her teeth holding back tears as she saw boys younger than she was being handed swords and axes. They were clueless. "These are the men that are fighting?" she said meekly. "Most have seen too many winters."  
  
"Or too few," Legolas added. "Look at them. They're frightened; I can see it in their eyes."  
  
The entire place seemed to stop and stare at Legolas. Then Laura realized just how desperate this situation was.  
  
Legolas continued, but in Elvish. "And they should be...300 against 10,000?"  
  
"They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras," Aragorn replied.  
  
"Aragorn, they cannot win this fight. They are going to die!"  
  
"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn said in English, and left. Laura took a deep breath as Legolas began to follow him.  
  
"Let him be," she told him in Elvish, and left. She went outside to the outer walls. It was dark, and it was very cold. She was tired, and she didn't want to be there anymore. Why'd she have to open her big mouth and argue with Legolas? She'd rather be nice and warm, sleeping while someone else did the fighting for her. She watched the men scatter everywhere, following and giving orders. What made these people so eager to fight? What motivated them to even leave the safety of those caves?  
  
But wait...they were fighting to save their families. Not only that, but to save their world from falling under the power of the Orcs and Sauron. She didn't understand because she wasn't-wait a minute, she was from this world. This was her home, too. How could she have been so naïve? When one world falls, so do the rest eventually. Gandalf's words echoed in her head. Gandalf! Where was he? Finding Eomer! So they did have some hope. If they could last until then, that was.  
  
She watched a young boy with a helmet that barely fit his small head. He looked about 12. He was looking at his sword, very confused. He couldn't fight; he'd be killed immediately if he faced an Orc. Then she got an idea. She made her way over to him.  
  
"Hey, don't be nervous," she told him soothingly. "You want to know a secret?"  
  
He looked up at her and nodded. He looked about to cry. She bent down and looked at his face.  
  
"You see that pile of rocks right there?" she pointed to a pile of rubble behind the boy. "Well, all you have to do is find the biggest rock you can and throw it down over the side at those Orcs. That doesn't seem so bad now, does it?"  
  
He shook his head, looking more hopeful. She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Just follow whatever orders you're given and you'll be fine." They both heard a horn blow all of a sudden. She straightened up. "The Elves! Those are my people, you know."  
  
The boy's eyes widened. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. Come on, let's go see them!" she and the boy ran to where they could see an army of Elves marching through the gates. She ducked as King Theoden came out, looking amazed. Leading the Elves was Haldir, the Elf from Lothlorien. 


	8. Woohoo! Battle Scene

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
Woohoo! Battle Scene  
  
"We bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. Long ago, Elves fought alongside Men. We are proud to honor that alliance once more," Haldir said proudly.  
  
"Elrond? All right, way to go," she said. Aragorn and Legolas came out to greet them. Shortly after that, all the men were to get in position. Laura stayed next to Legolas. He picked the spot on the wall that was just in the middle so they could have the perfect view of the endless number of Orcs marching towards them.  
  
She held her breath. All she could see were flames from the torches. And the black river was slowly lurching closer to them. Nothing moved and time stood still. The black abyss would swallow them whole before they even saw daylight. She felt all alone up there, watching her breath in the air as she tightened her grip on the top of the wall. Legolas noticed her knuckles turning white.  
  
"My lady, I will not leave your side," Legolas said, trying to comfort her. But she shook her head.  
  
"No. We will not leave Aragorn's side." He accepted this with a nod, as a flash of lighting crackled and rain began to pour on them. Laura wiggled her hands, trying to get some blood flowing back into them. The Uruk Hai were coming closer now. They stopped, an endless line of black beasts as far as the ravine stretched. They were angrily stomping and roaring. It made her nervousness rise again, and she shut her eyes tightly. What was she thinking? She couldn't do this. She was surprised she'd made it this far without wetting herself.  
  
She took a deep breath. She'd fought Uruks before, and it was no big deal. Plus, she didn't have an army beside her. She tried thinking of something, anything, that would draw her mind away from all this fear. It was too late, Aragorn's voice was already giving them commands. She readied her bow and arrow.  
  
"They are weak at the neck and below the arm," Legolas whispered to her. Duh. But he was only trying to help.  
  
She nodded. "Gotcha."  
  
As the stomping continued, a single arrow was released. "HOLD FIRE!" Aragorn yelled as one Orc fell to the ground dead. Well, that made only 9,999 Orcs left. But the rest were mad.  
  
She concentrated on one of the ugliest Uruk Hai she'd ever seen. That was the one she would kill when Aragorn gave the command. Ah, his neck was fully exposed. She would aim for his trachea, assuming those terrible creatures had tracheas. "RELEASE ARROWS!" he commanded in Elvish, since they were all Elves standing up there.  
  
A line of arrows shot forth, killing every single Orc in the front row. But it was way too soon to celebrate. Laura held in her Woohoo! And prepared a second arrow to wait for his command. The battle for Helm's Deep was beginning now. The Uruk Hai were charging with...ladders!?  
  
"Ladders?!" she cried.  
  
"LADDERS!" cried Aragorn in Elvish. She could see about 20 ladders being raised up to the walls, each with Orcs already anxious for the taste of human and Elven blood. She continued shooting arrows until a ladder was right next to her and an Uruk Hai stood on top of the wall looking at her.  
  
She unsheathed her sword and cut its head off as Uruk Hai began unloading onto the wall. "One!" she cried triumphantly.  
  
Legolas looked back at her. "I'm on 17!"  
  
"What? Oh, no he's not," she said to herself as she advanced upon some more. There was no way she was spending the rest of her journey sitting in caves with crying women. She finished off about five more before she got the brilliant idea of pushing the ladders away from the walls. It was harder than she thought. She braced her whole body against the ladder, only to find that it didn't move at all. She felt a sharp, stabbing pain go through her lower right calf. An Orc who'd been climbing up the ladder had sliced her leg. "OUCH!"  
  
Angrily, she kicked the ladder. It fell along with the Orc. She slaughtered two more, until she noticed that the Uruk Hai were parting. Leaning over the side, she saw this one running towards the wall with some spiky object on his back. He also had a torch with him. What was it? A bomb! They'd invented bombs? He was going to blow up the wall! It was a kamikaze Orc!  
  
"Aragorn, they're going to breach the wall!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Legolas, kill him! Kill him, kill him!" Aragorn shouted, but Legolas was already aiming at him. Laura decided she would fend off Orcs while he saved their lives.  
  
Legolas looked upset. He'd been able to shoot that Orc about twice now, and it wasn't stopping. Realizing they were standing directly above the part that was going to blow up, she grabbed him and pulled him out of the way.  
  
She jumped as the explosion took place. A huge part of the wall had been blown to pieces, and was now just a bunch of dust. Giant parts of debris were raining down on Saruman's army, while she and Legolas stared in disbelief. They had breached the wall. Orcs were pouring in below her towards Aragorn. Aragorn? He had fallen when the wall had blown up, and was laying unconscious as Uruk Hai swarmed towards him. "HOLY SH*T!" she exclaimed as the wall blew up.  
  
She got her boldness back and focused on Aragorn. "Aragorn!" she cried as she ran towards the gap in the wall and jumped on the Orcs, knocking a couple of them over and unsheathing her sword again.  
  
"Laura!" Aragorn cried. He signaled to the bunch of Elves behind him as Laura continued to fight. She hit the ground, landing in a giant mud puddle. But she did manage to avoid all the arrows which weren't meant for her. Aragorn helped her up and they charged the army that was now coming in through the big gap in the wall.  
  
"Back to the keep!" she heard a voice say. Then Aragorn grabbed her hand. "Fall back to the keep!" he shouted. "Haldir! Back to the keep!"  
  
"What? I've gotta kill more than Legolas, and..." she shut up since this was really not something to argue about, and went up the stairs with the retreating army. She still shot arrows when she could, and peeked over the side to see where Aragorn was. She gasped as she saw Haldir being stabbed by an Orc.  
  
"Haldir!" she cried. As Aragorn made his way up to the dying Elf, Haldir's lifeless head fell onto his shoulder. She cried out again, terrified. When she blinked, Aragorn began slaughtering Orcs left and right. She ran to where Legolas was shooting Orcs. 


	9. A Wizard is Never Late, Nor Early

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
A Wizard is Never Late, Nor Early  
  
Inside, everyone was in a chaotic state of panic. She didn't understand what was going on. She was exhausted, but this was absolutely no time for sleep. Aragorn placed his hand squarely on her shoulders, scaring the crap out of her.  
  
"Come with me," he said over all the noise. He led her to a side door where the two of them crept out along a ledge.  
  
She could see Orcs all along the path to Helm's Deep, which was a large stone bridge over the ravine. It was a long distance away though. But now the adrenaline was rushing, and she was no longer afraid of this battle. They had to win.  
  
"Come on, Aragorn. We can take 'em!" she said excitedly.  
  
He lifted one eyebrow. "Are you sure? It's a long way."  
  
"So toss me. Come on!"  
  
He smiled. She put her hands up. "Hold on. Don't tell Legolas, okay?"  
  
"Not a word," he said. He grabbed her by the back of the shoulder and threw her. With a cry, she landed in the middle of the Orcs and began slashing away. She could almost hear the heroic music playing in her head as Aragorn was right next to her. Her sword felt like it was getting heavier by the moment, but the timing was perfect.  
  
Through a hole in the doorway, King Theoden ordered them back inside. "Aragorn, get out of there!" he yelled.  
  
Laura saw a rope being tossed down. As she swung at a few more, Aragorn grabbed the rope with one hand and her with the other and the two of them hung there, just out of reach of the army. She grabbed the rope with both of her hands and climbed higher than Aragorn, placing her feet along the wall. She made her way to the top where Legolas was pulling them to safety.  
  
She grinned. "That's very impressive," she said. She didn't waste any time, but assisted in pulling Aragorn up to the top with them. They had to go back inside the keep where the King and some of his men still were bracing the doors.  
  
With Legolas' help, they found all that they could to bar the gates with. Running back and forth, Laura noticed that it was becoming lighter out. "Aragorn, the sun is rising!" she informed him, remembering Gandalf's command about looking to the light on the fifth day.  
  
She ran to get all of the horses for the men to ride out on, since that was what Aragorn had suggested to Theoden. As she mounted Epona and Legolas mounted Arod, she wiped a bunch of dirt from her face. She took her helmet off and threw it to the floor. Waiting for the King and Aragorn to mount their respective horses, Legolas looked over at Laura. Following Theoden and Aragorn, they rode out down the bridge and into the center of the battle. It amused Laura running over Orcs. She wondered if she should count them, but decided that they counted as Epona's kills. When they got to the bottom, a spear just narrowly missed her head. They were waist deep in Uruk Hai, and it didn't seem that hopeful this time.  
  
With a cry, she swung her sword left and right, protecting Epona and herself. She looked back at Helm's Deep, at the break in the wall. She'd been fighting there? It looked so different in morning, almost holy. She looked back up the hill, where a small white figure was on a horse.  
  
"GANDALF!" she roared. Some of the men looked in that direction. Not taking her full focus off the battle, she continued counting her kills as an entire army of men rode down the hillside following Gandalf.  
  
She squinted her eyes as the great surrounding white light engulfed the battle field. Laughing, she heard someone cry "Victory!"  
  
"YEAH! Whoohoo, all right!" she cried, lifting her sword up. On horseback, they chased the remainder of the army into what she assumed to be Fangorn Forest. She grinned as the trees began moving, massacring the Orcs.  
  
"Gandalf, it's good to see you again!" she exclaimed. Gandalf smiled warmly at her, and Shadowfax neighed.  
  
"The battle of Helm's Deep may be over, but the battle of Middle Earth is just beginning," he said wisely.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. But we won!" It was all over so quickly. She hadn't even realized that they'd been fighting all night long. Everything had gone super fast when she was in battle mode. "Oh man, I am exhausted. I don't know about you guys, but I've gotta get some sleep."  
  
King Theoden glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. She hoped she wouldn't be in too much trouble for impersonating a soldier. Sleep overtook most senses, and she was able to find a nice quiet isolated spot to sleep after getting rid of her chainmail shirt.  
  
In the amount of time she slept, she was able to see everything that Frodo and Sam had gone through since they'd parted. She saw them lost in Emyn Muil on the rocks, as they found Gollum and he became their guide. She recognized the encounter with the winged Nazgul creatures where Frodo fell almost unconscious from the pain in his shoulder. Then the two of them were captured by a man that reminded her very much of Boromir, as he took them to the city of Osgiliath. While there, it was attacked.  
  
Frodo stood on a bridge, overlooking the city. A creature flapped its wings not more than a couple of inches before Frodo's face. Frodo didn't look himself, but held some sort of look on his face which contorted in pain. He was possessed by the temptation to put on the Ring. He took the Ring from where it hung around his neck, about to put it on again.  
  
Laura groaned. "Frodo, don't put that ring on!" She woke up feeling like she hadn't slept at all. She took a few breaths, trying to calm herself after the dream/vision. With her head in her hands, she tried to regain her composure and choke back the tears that welled up in her throat from seeing Frodo so weak. She exited the building and went to the outer walls, where a bunch of slain Orcs still lay. The place seemed really different now that everything was calm again. 


	10. Wrapping Things Up for LDawgg

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR

**Wrapping Things Up for LDawgg**

She turned around. Legolas was sitting on a barrel, polishing his bow. He looked in her direction, then back at his bow. "The final count: 63," he announced proudly.

She smirked. "63, huh? Well I guess that's not too bad."

"How many did you get?" he said, disappointed at her tone.

"68," she said with her hands on her hips.

He frowned. "I think we shall have to have a rematch."

"Legolas, I can't sleep. What should I do?"

"Is it the visions again?" he asked seriously.

She nodded. "I think I should just stop sleeping altogether."

"I thought you told Aragorn that the visions had stopped."

"He wouldn't have let me fight if he knew. You're not gonna tell him, are you?" She looked miserable when she asked him this, and he felt his heart sink. He could still remember the one in Fangorn Forest, and shuddered to think of what would happen if Sauron presented himself again to the girl.

He sighed. "I suppose I cannot if your heart tells you to continue fighting. But you must say something to Gandalf. He is more powerful than I."

She turned around and watched the sunset. Legolas was a really good guy, and so was Aragorn. And Gandalf, she had missed him so much. She had the time now to go and really see what was going on between Eowyn and Aragorn. Plus, she really needed to change and wash off, maybe fix her hair.

As she turned to leave, she remembered something. "Legolas?"

"Yes, my lady?"

"I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but when all of this ends I think we should get married."

He looked at her, not completely able to apprehend the sentence. "My lady?"

"You heard me. In fact, I'd highly recommend that course of action. Hey, I'll see you later. We're going to Isengard in the morning, right?"

Legolas nodded, still confused. She waved. "Ta!"

Not fully aware of what she'd just said to him, she decided to seek out some water so that she could make herself a bath. Ugh. Orc blood was all over her outfit, her hair was greasy. And she was probably in dire need of deodorant. She wondered if anyone shaved here on Middle Earth. Elves didn't seem to have any facial hair.

She sought out Eowyn and together they looked for a dress that she could wear. She thought long and hard about what she was going to say to Eowyn, and decided to get it over with.

"Eowyn, you're really glad that Aragorn's back aren't you?" she asked.

Eowyn looked at her unsurely as she pulled a dress out of a basket of clothes. "Of course, I am happy for all of the fighters that survived this great peril."

"Well I know that, but I mean, well…you really care for Aragorn, don't you?"

"My lady, I do not think such personal matters should be discussed," Eowyn said dismissively. She looked down. "I know. I know that it is merely a dream. But that's all I have known since I was a little girl. Nothing but dreams…" she broke into a sob and ran away, stuffing the dress in Laura's arms.

Laura felt so awful for what she had just said. She had just stuck her nose where it absolutely did not belong, and now she'd hurt Eowyn. She just didn't want to see the poor woman get hurt. But maybe that was what she had to keep her going. Just a fool's hope like that. She shook her head. "Laura, you idiot." She owed Eowyn a huge apology.

"Ah, much better," she said contentedly as she slipped on her dress. It was a little worn, but nothing to complain about. She let her hair fall down over her shoulders since it was rarely ever this clean. She wanted to show off, showing that she wasn't some tomboy who was covered in dirt and bruises so far. She carefully wrapped her leg wound and went down the candle lit hallways. She had to find Eowyn and apologize to her.

She was sitting on some steps, just below one of the many statues outside. It was a clear night, not too chilly because it was no longer raining. Laura's bare feet made a soft noise when they hit the pavement, and Eowyn slightly turned her head.

Laura sat down next to her. "Eowyn, I'm so sorry. It is none of my business what's going on between you and Aragorn, or you and anyone else for that matter. I mean, what do I know? I'm just a sixteen-year-old girl."

Eowyn smiled sadly. "In times such as these, one must hold onto the only hopes and dreams they have."

"I know, I realized that."

"What are your hopes for the future?"

"Well, I guess I just want to go home. I want to see my sister again. I want to learn more about my people."

"Lord Aragorn told me you are an Elf. Your people are sailing to Valinor, are they not?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm still new to all of this."

Eowyn laughed. "It's hard to believe you came here such a short time ago and are already willing to fight for us. You must've seen a lot of war in your time to be so eager to defeat Sauron."

"My time? How old do you think I am? I'm sixteen. In human years. 365 days."

"You are? But you cannot be so young? And you are fighting with the Rohirrim? Surely there is some mistake."

"Hey, don't look at me. It was Gandalf's idea that I come with them until I find some place safe. But when I did, I didn't want to stay. I could never let Frodo down by watching everything happen. I can't not fight."

Eowyn nodded. "We see eye to eye on that."

"I think we may see eye to eye on more than just that." She inched a little closer to Eowyn, lowering her voice. "I need some womanly intuition. How do you think Legolas feels towards me?"

Eowyn laughed, long and loud. Laura had not heard anyone laugh like this in quite some time since the Hobbits were gone from the Fellowship. Eowyn calmed down. "I do not know for certain, for I haven't much contact with Elves. But I can tell that he is very fond of you, my lady."

"Sweet. I told him we should get married."

"You what? Were you serious?"

"Of course not! But I don't know if he understood or not. He's a bit on the uh, uptight side." Eowyn let out another laugh.

They looked up as they felt a presence lingering behind them. It was Legolas. Stifling another laugh, Eowyn stood up. "If you will excuse me my lady…my lord," she said, nodding to Legolas.

Laura grinned. She was dead tired, sore, confused as all ever as to what role she still had to play, but she felt wonderful. "Hey, Leggy. Can I call you Leggy? Do you mind?"

He remained standing as she looked up at him. "You may call me whatever you wish, my lady," he replied.

"Don't take such a formal tone with me. What about L-Dawgg? L to the Eggy-"

Legolas put his hand up to stop her. She nodded and motioned for him to sit next to her. Poor Legolas. He was way too serious. He'd never understand her. But he was such a heartthrob. Wait a second, she was past that phase. Legolas was more than just eye candy on Middle-earth. He was risking his very life to be with Aragorn, to save the Hobbits, and to protect her. She took a breath. She had a feeling she would be having these moments more often.

"Hey, Legolas…I know what you're trying to do for my father on top of being loyal to Gandalf and Aragorn. And I may be really hard to deal with sometimes, and I may seem really ungrateful, but I do appreciate what you're doing."

"My lady-" he began, then cleared his throat. "Laura, I do not think you have a full understanding. I am not doing this for you father."

"What?" she said, blushing. He was protecting her without being under oath? But she'd been so difficult and rebellious so far. Not to mention extremely rude to him in most instances. (well, not rude, but rather casual AKA rude in those times) She hesitated on her next question.

"Uhm, are we friends, by any chance?" she braced herself for a resounding "no."

"Of course," Legolas said immediately.

"Oh. Okay," she said, taken aback.

"Did you hope we weren't? You are a member of the Fellowship, after all."

"I know that but well, I haven't exactly been polite to you…I mean, I can lose my temper and become a real jerk-"

He cut her off. "Laura, actions speak louder than words. You must remember that." He stood up and helped her to her feet. "Now sleep, you must not have any of those visions of Sauron. Aragorn will not allow you to come any further with us if he finds out."

Stay Tuned for next installment: Finding a Place for Herself


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